‘Hope everyone’s rights are protected’: UN on Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest, Lok Sabha elections 2024

The UN expressed hope for everyone’s rights to be protected in India, in context of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024 and the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal. A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says that the world body hopes everyone’s "political and civil rights" are "protected". 

Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric was responding to a question on the political unrest in India ahead of the General Elections, in the wake of Kejriwal’s arrest, and Congress party’s accusations that its bank accounts have been frozen. 

“What we very much hope that in India, as in any country that is having elections, that everyone's rights are protected, including political and civil rights, and everyone is able to vote in an atmosphere that is free and fair,” said Dujarric.

The comment from the UN comes after the US reacted in a similar fashion to a question on Kejriwal’s arrest. India then summoned a senior UN diplomat to protest the remarks, following which the US reiterated that it encourages far, transparent, timely legal processes. 

“I’m not going to talk about any private diplomatic conversations. But of course what we have said publicly is what I just said from here, that we encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes. We don’t think anyone should object to that, and we’ll make the same thing clear privately,” reiterated US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Gloria Berbena to the office in South Block.

India said US’ remarks on Kejriwal’s arrest are ‘unwarranted’ and lauded the country’s “independent and robust democratic institutions” that it aims to protect from any form of external influences. 

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam.